Christmas tree ornament



April 26, 1938. s. D. COHEN CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT Filed Mafch 12, 1937 INVEN'IOR .504 j. Gar/5M MNEYS WITNESS Patented Apr. 26, 1938 A UNITED STATES CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT Sol D. Cohen, New York, N. Y., assignor to Paper Novelty Manufacturing 00., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 12, 1937, Serial No. 130,445

1 Claim.

The invention relates to a Christmas tree ornament and more particularly to a reflector structure to beused in connection with a miniature incandescent lamp employed for ornamentative 5 purposes as in the decoration of a Christmas tree.

The object of the invention is to provide a decorative or ornamental structure including a reflector body and a light diffusing element or structure superimposed upon and secured to the reflector body, by means of which light diffusing structure the light emanating from the incandescent lamp will be effectively diffused in all directions including that directly forwardly of the ornament and by reflection from portions of the diffusing element to the reflector body and in turn from such reflector body in all directions in front of the ornament,

A further object of the invention is to provide an ornamental structure which will utilize to the greatest degree the light emanating from the incandescent lamp and having such light strike bright, highly polished surfaces of both the reflector body and the interior reflective surface of 5 the superimposed diffusing element, so as to have such light reflected from such interior bright surface to the surface of the reflector body and from the latter in all directions forwardly of the ornament.

In accordance with my invention, the reflector body is constituted of a blank of sheet metal having a highly reflective surface which may be colored, such blank being in the form of a star, the sections constituting the points of the star 36 being cupped so as to be arcuate in transverse section. To such reflector body, in accordance with my invention, is secured a light diffusing structure in the form of a spider having a plurality of legs equal to the number of star points,

40 which legs are secured to the reflector body by means of tabs extending from. such legs and riveted to the reflector body. The diffusing structure is constituted of a spider framework having an upper plane surface provided with a plurality of apertures, each of the leg portions of the framework being provided with a tongue out therein and brought from the plane of such leg portion by bending, into substantially the plane of the upper surface of the diifusing element. Such tongues, by reason of the highly reflective surface with which they are provided on their under side, will act as mirrors from which light emanating from incandescent lamps supported upon the ornament will be reflected 5 to the highly polished surface of the reflector body and from there diffused in all directions due to the curvature of the elements constituting such reflector body.

My novel Christmas tree ornament is provided with an insulating disc or element by means of which the incandescent lamp is secured to the ornament and also with means for securing the ornament to the central stem of a Christmas tree at theluppermost extremity of such tree.

A particular embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a face View of a Christmas tree ornament constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough; Fig. 3 is a rear view of the ornament; Fig. 4 is a plan View of the blank in flat condition from which the spider structure is to be formed; and Fig. 5 is a side view of the spider structure.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, l0 designates 20 one of the plurality of sections constituting the reflector body, which latter in the illustrated embodiment of my invention is constituted of a five-pointed star. I

The reflector body is preferably formed from a single sheet of material, die-cut in the usual manner, and then placed into a forming mold which cups the elements forming the star points, so that such elements are arcuate in transverse section. The blank of material from which the star-shaped reflector body is formed may advantageously have applied thereto an exterior surface finish of any desired color. The reflector body has a central aperture II. 35

Superimposed upon the reflector body, in the manner hereinafter to be described, is a diffusing structure which will be hereinafter referred to as a spider. Such spider is preferably formed of a blank of material having a highly reflective 40 surface finish, which blank of material is also formed in the shape of a five-pointed star as illustrated in Fig, 4. Such spider comprises a center portion I2 and a plurality of leg portions I3. In forming the spider, the portions I3 are 5 bent downwardly along dotted lines l4 and the end portions !5 of the legs are turned upwardly along the dotted lines l6 so as to form means by which the spider structure is secured in position upon the reflector body, such upturned end 5 portions [5 being positioned approximately centrally of the star elements l0, near their bases, by rivets l1.

Each leg portion l3 of the spider has out therein a tongue [8, which tongue is adapted to be bent out of the plane of such leg portion and substantially into the plane of the upper surface I 2 of the spider. Such upper surface is also provided with a plurality of concentrically arranged apertures I9.

The reflector body has applied to the rear surface thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, an insulating disc l9 by means of rivets 20, 20, the insulating disc having a central aperture 2| into which extends a plurality of tongues 22 from the insulating disc, which tongues are adapted to retain the socket element of an incandescent lamp in proper position upon the ornament as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The means for mounting my novel ornament upon the central stem of a Christmas tree comprises a wire 23 formed at its lower end with a plurality of convolutions 24 increasing in diameter downwardly. The upper end of the wire 23 is bent in the manner clearly indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 so as to have a loop 25 intermediate the ends of the wire 23 surround the lowermost one of the rivets 20 and the loop 26 at the upper extremity of the wire, surround the upper rivet 20. The upper portion of the wire 23 having the loops surrounding the rivets is placed between the central portion of the reflector body and the insulating disc l9.

After my novel ornament has been assembled, as hereinabove indicated, the plurality of tongues I8 are bent out of the plane of the legs I3 so as to extend from the central portion of the spider. Such tongues, on the surfaces thereof facing the reflector body, are provided with a highly reflective mirror finish so that when the incandescent light bulb, which is housed within the spider, is illuminated, the light therefrom is reflected directly from the reflector body to the interior mirror-like surfaces of the spider tongues l8 and again reflected thereby against the reflector body surface.

A very striking effect of reflection and diffusion of light from the incandescent light bulb by means of the several elements constituting my ornament is thus obtained. This striking effect is enhanced by the diffusion of light from the incandescent bulb through the plurality of apertures provided in the upper surface of the spider structure,

Thus, when the light bulb in conjunction with which my novel Christmas tree ornament is adapted to be used, is illuminated, the rays of light emanating therefrom are reflected and diffused throughout the interior space of the ornament and are reflected and diffused by the plurality of highly polished surfaces both of the reflector structure and of the spider superimposed thereon. Such reflected rays of light, being greatly enhanced in effect by reason of the repeated reflection and diffusion, in conjunction with the light emanating at the same time from the apertures in the surface of the spider, produce an extremely effective illumination of the entire ornamental structure.

While I have described a particular embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various modifications therein, particularly in the number, arrangement and configuration of the several parts thereof, may be made without departing from my invention.

I claim:

As an article of manufacture, an ornament adapted for use, with an incandescent light bulb, in the decoration of a Christmas tree, comprising a reflector body to foil material of substantially star shape, the star point elements of which are cupped so as to be arcuate in cross section, said body having a highly reflective colored surface, and an apertured spider structure superposed upon said body and being formed of an independent blank of similarly highly reflective colored foil material having star point elements equal in number to the number of star points in the reflector body, from the plane of which spider structure the said star point elements have been depressed to constitute a plurality of leg portions for the spider structure, substantially straddling the base portions of the cupped elements, with the ends thereof bent into the plane of the cupped elements of the body, and secured at such bent portions to said body by rivets, said leg portions of said spider structure each having a tongue out therein, said tongue being bent from the surface of the leg portion into a plane substantially coinciding with the upper surface of the spider structure, said tongues also having highly reflec tive surfaces facing the reflector body, whereby said tongues are effective to diffuse the rays of light emanating from said incandescent light bulb by reflecting such light rays to the reflector body from which they are again reflected in all directions from the cupped surfaces of such body.

SOL D. COHEN. 

